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School Choice and Higher Education Attainment

Author

Listed:
  • Alessandrini, Diana

    (St. Francis Xavier University)

  • Milla, Joniada

    (Saint Mary’s University)

Abstract

We analyze how school vouchers affect post-secondary attainment by exploiting the universal voucher program implemented in Chile in 1981. The program allowed students to choose which primary and secondary schools to attend. The government covered tuition independently of whether the chosen school was private or public. We find that vouchers increased the probability of attending PSE by 2-4 percentage points and the probability of PSE graduation by 1-3 percentage points. Students from low socio economic backgrounds benefited the most. Further, we study whether the impacts of vouchers depend on when school choice becomes available in a student’s educational path. We find that the impacts of vouchers on PSE outcomes are maximized if vouchers are introduced before students start middle school.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandrini, Diana & Milla, Joniada, 2022. "School Choice and Higher Education Attainment," IZA Discussion Papers 15330, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15330
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Juan A. Correa & Francisco Parro & Loreto Reyes, 2014. "The Effects of Vouchers on School Results: Evidence from Chile's Targeted Voucher Program," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(4), pages 351-398.
    2. Dennis Epple & Richard E. Romano & Miguel Urquiola, 2017. "School Vouchers: A Survey of the Economics Literature," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 55(2), pages 441-492, June.
    3. Chakrabarti, Rajashri, 2008. "Can increasing private school participation and monetary loss in a voucher program affect public school performance? Evidence from Milwaukee," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(5-6), pages 1371-1393, June.
    4. Anders Böhlmark & Mikael Lindahl, 2015. "Independent Schools and Long-run Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Sweden's Large-scale Voucher Reform," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 82(327), pages 508-551, July.
    5. Joshua Angrist & Eric Bettinger & Erik Bloom & Elizabeth King & Michael Kremer, 2002. "Vouchers for Private Schooling in Colombia: Evidence from a Randomized Natural Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(5), pages 1535-1558, December.
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    8. Alessandrini, Diana, 2018. "Is post-secondary education a safe port and for whom? Evidence from Canadian data," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1-13.
    9. Rajashri Chakrabarti, 2013. "Accountability with Voucher Threats, Responses, and the Test-Taking Population: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Florida," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 8(2), pages 121-167, April.
    10. Dante Contreras & Paulina Sepúlveda & Sebastián Bustos, 2010. "When Schools Are the Ones that Choose: The Effects of Screening in Chile," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1349-1368, December.
    11. Javiera Cartagena FarÍas & Steven McIntosh, 2019. "Does the Increase in Competition between Schools Improve the Quality of the Service? The Role of Educational Reform in Chile," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(8), pages 1799-1815, August.
    12. Berthelon, Matias E. & Kruger, Diana I., 2011. "Risky behavior among youth: Incapacitation effects of school on adolescent motherhood and crime in Chile," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 41-53.
    13. Chingos, Matthew M. & Peterson, Paul E., 2015. "Experimentally estimated impacts of school vouchers on college enrollment and degree attainment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 1-12.
    14. Dante Contreras & Paulina Sepúlveda & Sebastián Bustos, 2010. "When Schools Are the Ones that Choose: The Effects of Screening in Chile," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(s1), pages 1349-1368.
    15. David Bravo & Sankar Mukhopadhyay & Petra E. Todd, 2010. "Effects of school reform on education and labor market performance: Evidence from Chile's universal voucher system," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 1(1), pages 47-95, July.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    vouchers; school choice; higher education attendance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H43 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Project Evaluation; Social Discount Rate
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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